


baby, your eyes glow like...a jellyfish?

by itoldyounottoeatthesoap, spartona



Series: avena [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: All I Want for Christmas is mentioned, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, At least he tries, Biology Major Lance, Christmas, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Merry Christmas ya filthy animal, Shadam, Shiro is Best Wingman, Surprises, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, even though there were two people working on it, klance, music major keith, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:41:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28038591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itoldyounottoeatthesoap/pseuds/itoldyounottoeatthesoap, https://archiveofourown.org/users/spartona/pseuds/spartona
Summary: “Just shut up and trust me.”Keith grabs Lance’s hand, and leads them to the front of the aquarium, slightly aside from the lines.“I knew you were upset because you couldn’t go to Cuba for Christmas. I know you miss your family and since I can’t do anything else, I thought that maybe bringing you here would make you a bit happier during this holiday season. Oh. You can open your eyes now.”When Lance reads the sign,Altea Aquarium Reopening, Keith can see the moment he literally lights up.---In which Lance can't visit home for Christmas, but Keith has a plan to cheer him up.
Relationships: Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Keith & Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: avena [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2196189
Comments: 6
Kudos: 44
Collections: Space Losers’ Winter 2020 Collection





	baby, your eyes glow like...a jellyfish?

**Author's Note:**

> merry christmas to all who celebrate it!
> 
> enjoy the diabetes, ya filthy animals.

**EmoBlack**

Hey, Lance. Keep this Friday open on your calendar.

**SeaSimp**

what for, good sir? trying to get a piece of this hot bod? 

**EmoBlack** ****

No, you idiot.

Just don’t plan anything. I have a surprise. 

**SeaSimp** ****

why are we being so secretive? what’s this _surprise_ ?

**EmoBlack**

_ Image attachment: [surprise-definition.png] _

**SeaSimp**

but i dont like surpriseesss

keeeeeeeeef

tell meeeee

Keith feels a surge of affection run through his body. He fights to keep the edges of his mouth from twitching upward, despite people not being able to see the bottom half of his face with the mask on. 

Through the phone, Keith can hear the whiny tone Lance would be using and he can see the pout Lance probably has on his face.

He shakes his head at this display of Lance’s ridiculousness.

**EmoBlack**

I’m good.

**SeaSimp**

i’ll change your name again dont test me

just tell meeeeeeee

pretty please? with a cherry on top? extra sprinkles?

**EmoBlack**

Are you four?

**SeaSimp**

im proud to say my mental age is 7, thank you very much

**a big loser who wont tell me the surprise**

I’m not telling you.

Guess you’ll have to wait until Friday for once.

No, Hunk doesn’t know either.

**SeaSimp**

jdsfkajsdf 

_ just tell me, keith  _

youre no fun :(

**a big loser who wont tell me the surprise**

Lance.

**Four year old**

keith.

**a big loser who wont tell me the surprise**

Be patient, Lance. 

**Four year old**

no.

this could all be over quickly if you just tell me

**a big loser who wont tell me the surprise**

Don’t make me mute you.

**Four year old**

:0

you  _ wouldn’t _

***you have been blocked by @ a big loser who wont tell me the surprise**

Keith can’t stop the smile from forming on his face. He shoves his face into his hands, warmed by (fingerless) gloves. He can feel his face burning through the gloves. Keith has never felt happier to be wearing a mask. 

Oh, he is so, so far gone for this boy. 

He finally reads the texts Shiro sent him.

**Boomer 12:34**

Did he say yes?

**Boomer 12:36**

Keith you can’t avoid me

**Boomer 12:40**

Keith

_ Keith _

Keith rolls his eyes as he scrolls through the texts. He hits the call button, bracing himself for what is going to greet him on the other end. 

Shiro picks up on the third ring.

“So, you finally decided to call me,” Shiro says, with faux annoyance. “After all I’ve done for you? Keith, I’m offended. I got you those tickets-”

Keith snorts. “Shiro, I already know you were only doing it to see the hot worker- What was his name again? Andrew? Alexander? You aren’t slick, Shiro.”

“First off, his name was Adam. Second,  _ how did you find out? _ You know what, I don’t want to know the answer to that. Maybe I won’t do anything to help you next time.” 

“Pidge knows everything, Shiro. Everything.”

He hears Shiro huff through the phone. “I should’ve known better.”

“Yea, you should’ve. Anyway, would you be home in like, an hour and a half? I have class and I’m headed home to my dorm.”

Keith shoves the hand that’s unoccupied by the phone in his pocket. He can feel the tips of his fingers starting to freeze and he really wishes that the corner coffee shop were still open.

_ “Mullet! You’re going to freeze out there in just a sweatshirt! I can’t have my roomie dying of hypothermia.” _

_ Keith rolled his eyes. “It’s like, a ten minute walk. I can’t catch hypothermia in ten minutes.” _

_ Lance rolled his eyes from where he sat on his bed, laptop balanced on his legs. He huffed and essentially threw the laptop off of his lap, going over to the closet and pulling out a long blue scarf.  _

_ Lance thrust it into Keith’s hands. “Just put this on? For me?” _

_ And because Keith is weak to anything Lance asked of him, he had taken the scarf, wrapping it around his neck. Keith had rolled his eyes in response instead placing a kiss on Lance’s forehead like he wanted to. _

_ He ignored the way the butterflies fluttered in his stomach as he watched Lance’s face light up once Keith finished placing the scarf. _

_ “Hmm,” he hears Lance hum. “Maybe blue is your color.” _

He finds himself blushing again at the memory as he shoves his (freezing cold) nose into the soft fabric. It smells like Lance, a mix of dawn fabric softener and slightly like the ocean.

He forgets the feeling of being cold, all wrapped up in the soothing scent.

It’s amazing how one smell can change his entire attitude.

“Keith? What smell are you talking about?”

Keith rips the scarf away from his face. “I- um- What smell?” he says dumbly.

“Keithhhh-”

Keith clears his throat. “I- I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You sure about that?”

Keith sighs, long and loud, making sure Shiro can pick it up through the phone. “Lance, he gave me a scarf before I left this morning,” Keith mumbles.

“Keith, buddy.” Keith can imagine the victorious smile Shiro has on his face. “You are whipped. W. H. I. P-”

“Alright, Shiro, gotta go! I’ll get the tickets later, you asshole,” Keith says as he slams the red hang-up button.

**♆♆♆**

Lance lifts his head from where he lays in bed. 

“Mullettttt,” he says, throwing an arm over his eyes and dropping his phone onto the bed. “I don’t wanna get up.”

Keith’s eyes flick from his music theory textbook to where Lance is whining. “It’ll be easier if you get up now.”

Lance responds with a loud groan. But Keith hears the shuffling of feet. When he looks up again, he sees Lance’s droopy shoulders as he grabs a shirt (yes, he was shirtless, and no Keith’s gay brain was not short-circuiting.)

He watches the way Lance’s muscles contract as he lifts his arms over his head before Lance turns around to look at him and he has to tear his eyes away. 

Lance grabs one of his sweatshirts from the floor and a winter jacket.

Keith’s brow furrows. 

“Where are you going?” he asks as Lance grabs gloves, earmuffs, and a beanie. 

“I’m going to that bog, remember?”

Yes, Keith did remember. He just forgot he was leaving this soon. 

Keith doesn’t want Lance to leave, doesn’t want to be left alone, but it isn’t something he can control. (He’s kicking butt at this ‘yelling at his anxiety’ thing.)

He likes spending time with Lance. It’s peaceful and it feels like nothing could ever go wrong. 

“What time do you have to be there?”

Lance checks his watch. “In around 15 minutes.”

“Isn’t it a fifteen minute walk to the station?”

Lance’s face pales. “Oh fuck.” He grabs his keys and a mask before rushing the door. 

“Don’t forget to unblock me on discord,” Lance yells before slamming the door behind him. 

Keith shakes his head before turning back to his textbook.

He doesn’t forget to unblock Lance, though. 

**♆♆♆**

He’s in the middle of his music composition class when he hears the sound of Lance’s singing.

_ “I’m short of breath, standing next to you.” _

He’s torn in two- he should be paying attention to his class, not thinking about a certain blue-eyed boy from Cuba. But also... _ he could be thinking about a certain blue-eyed boy from Cuba. _ Alas, it's hard not to think about Lance when he’s singing in the other room. 

_ “I’m out of my depth at this altitude.” _

Keith looks up from his laptop, glaring at the wall separating the main area from the bathroom as if that would make Lance stop singing. He’s trying to function like a normal human being, thank you very much. Thanks for the reminder he’s a gay disaster, though.

_ “Like the world makes sense from your window seat.” _

He’s never been more grateful for only reading and an assignment- no Zoom meeting he has to focus on. He looks back down at his laptop, choosing to glare at the notes instead. Composition class is one of his favorites, but still the cause of much stress and frustration.

_ “You are beautiful like I’ve never seen.” _

No matter how much he works on this piece, he thinks, it’d never amount to the beauty of Lance’s singing. (No matter how off key some parts were.)

_ “Go ahead and laugh, even if it hurts.” _

Keith falls into a trance listening to Lance sing, despite his inability to multitask. Before Keith knows it, Lance is out of the shower, and his comp class has barely ended.

“Comp class?” Keith looks up from his laptop once again, only this time Lance stands before him. One hand is in his wet hair, ruffling it. The other holds up a towel around his hips and- yep. Nope. Looking away now. 

He peaks. He's single and gay and his crush is in front of him. Give him a break, geez. 

“Yes.” Keith replies, definitely  _ not  _ red. He scowls. “I’m suffering.”

Lance snorts. “Yeah, right, you said you love that class.”

“Only because I was foolish.” Keith retorts, glaring once again at his screen

The Cuban’s airy laugh reaches his ears, and his depression softens at the sound, muscles relaxing. “Wow, and  _ I’m  _ the dramatic one.” Lance says. “Can I listen to it?”

“..What?”

“I mean, I don’t have to, obviously. I’ve never heard your music before, for some reason? Which is fine! Obviously! Just, I don’t know, maybe a third party would be nice? Helpful? You know what? Never mind. Ignore this, it’s not that good an idea, anyway-”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Lance blinks, disbelief coloring his features. “That’s it? You let me ramble and get anxious and all I get is an okay?”

Keith shrugs.

“Unbelievable.” Lance throws his hands up, exasperation lacing his tone. “Alright, let me get dressed and then I’ll listen to it.”

Lance goes to his room to get dressed (which makes Keith both grateful and disappointed), leaving the Korean alone with the traitorous homework once again.

He gets up to make them both some hot chocolate- stepping away from it and letting his mind rest should do him some good. The water finishes boiling just after Lance returns. His steps slow as he walks over to his roommate. “Are you making cocoa?”

“Yes.”

“Best. Roommate. Ever.” He then proceeds to smack Keith’s hand as he reaches for the dairy products he has out and ready to go. “Nope. I’ll be in charge of the lactose this time, Mister.”

Keith gaped. “ _ One time. _ ”

“And you regretted it.”

“No, not really.”

“Too bad, you’re not dying on my watch.”

“You can’t die from  _ one  _ cup of cocoa when you’re lactose intolerant, Lance.”

“Hush. You did last time, or do I have to remind you?”

Keith laughs softly, leaving the extra ingredients to Lance. He heads back to the table, picking up his headphones from where they lay next to his laptop. “Uh, I haven’t added in all the instruments yet, so it might be a little sparse.”

The other boy looks over his shoulder at Keith, eyes lighting up as he grins. “Just blast it.”

Keith freezes, anxiety prickling in his stomach. “What?”

“Like, unplug the headphones and turn up the volume. If you’re comfortable with it, obviously. Just, I’m doing the cocoa and  _ I could wait _ but I’m really excited.”

Keith’s expression softens. “...Okay.”

Lance grins, turning back to the cocoa on the counter. The other boy unplugs the headphones from his laptop, bringing it over to the counter. “Remember, it’s not done-”

“Play the music, Keith.”

“Yeah, okay.” 

He hesitates as the mouse hovers over the play button, the supportive smile from Lance finally pushing him to click it. The minute it starts playing Keith grimaces, already picking out everything that could be better.

Keith doesn’t enjoy sharing his music. It feels too personal, like he’s letting people see the things he’s typically too afraid of sharing, like it’s a one way mirror to the center of his soul and it bypasses all of his walls. He’s opened it up to his professor because of school and grades and only recently has started letting Shiro listen to the final products. 

It’s never been unfinished, like the one he’s showing to Lance. He hasn’t had the time to pick over all of the spots where he feels the music a bit too deep, a bit too close to the places he's trying to hide. 

But it’s  _ Lance _ , and Keith has done stupider, more impulsive things for this boy. Keith is weak to whatever Lance asks of him. He’s already let Lance into the fortress around his heart, but it’s still nerve racking to wander the hallways freely with the ability to study every nook and cranny. 

So he’ll push the anxiety down as far as it’ll go, as he lets one of the most important people in his life listen to his music, leading directly into his heart. 

Keith watches as Lance’s face remains unchanged, he looks distracted and- oh, what if he  _ doesn’t _ like it and he’s just bored with the music and Lance will hate him after-

“Keith! This is amazing.”

Even Keith’s untrained people skills can pick up the way it sounds forced out of Lance’s mouth. Keith can feel a stab of pain in his heart as he moves to click the pause button on the music before getting his hand slapped away. 

Keith blinks, deadpanning, “I appreciate it, Lance, but you’re a terrible liar.”

Lance gives Keith a glare, and it causes the little anxiety demons to go scurrying away. “Stop doing this self-sabotaging shit.”

_ Ouch _ . “I…” Keith swallows, glancing away from him back to his laptop, where the music is still playing. Lance has never been one to shy away from calling Keith out on his shit, but Keith will never get used to it after a couple of years. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Keith  _ does _ in fact know what Lance is talking about, and he knows that Lance also knows too. It’s the aftermath of years and years of self preservation through his ‘fight’ instinct, despite him not wanting it to be.

He’s let Lance into his life and into his heart along with so many other things that Keith wants to share with him the deepest parts of his soul, the things that nobody else has been able to see. 

Keith wishes he could just let Lance into something that’s this important to him. He wants to, so badly, but it seems some things just can’t be changed so easily. 

Lance leans in close, close enough that Keith can feel the huff of air with every breath that Lance takes. His eyebrow is cocked and he’s giving Keith the  _ look _ and Keith’s poor gay heart can’t take this. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. You, my friend, are even worse at lying than I am.” 

Lance leans back and smirks at Keith, and Keith really can’t take anymore. 

Keith clears his throat as he hits the pause button on the laptop. “Thanks, Lance, I appreciate it.”

Wow, his  _ flight _ instinct is kicking in at the wrong time here. 

His heart falls as he sees Lance’s face turns disappointed and sad before disappearing into a false look of nonchalance. 

Lance hits the play button again. 

He holds a look of defiance on his face and there’s a fire of determination in his eyes. “Nope, mullet, you’re staying here.”

“Why would I keep playing it if you don’t like it?”

“Because I  _ do  _ like it! Don’t put words in my mouth when you don’t know what I’m thinking.”

Keith scowls. “I think your body language was enough, thanks.”

Lance doesn’t back down. He hits the pause button and replays a certain part the Keith had worked on for  _ hours _ , something that never seemed quite right, a little bit awkward and didn’t flow seamlessly.

“See! I love this part, it’s different and there’s a change in the vibes-”

Keith shakes his head. “Lance, that’s like, the worst part.”

Lance lets out an offended gasp. “You can’t say that about my favorite part! That’s offensive.”

Lance grabs his hands, pulling Keith close to him. It’s a slightly awkward angle, Lance is gripping Keith’s elbows oddly tight and Keith’s taller frame makes him look at Lance awkwardly. 

“Um, Lance? What are you doing?”

“Shut up and trust me, mullet.”

Lance readjusts his grip on Keith’s arms, leading them around Lance’s waist. Lance moves his own arms upward, wrapping them around Keith’s neck. 

It’s a slow song, a little bit melancholy and wistful. It’s enough to consist of another Christmas song, like  _ Silent Night _ or  _ Hallelujah _ . 

It’s perfect. 

Lance leads them in the slow dance, rocking them back and forth in a smooth rhythm. 

Keith is reminded why he loves this boy in the first place, why he let him into his heart so effortlessly and so easily. Keith can’t imagine feeling this way with anyone else. 

**♆♆♆**

“Lance? Are you ready for your  _ surprise _ ?”

Lance sticks his head out of the bathroom, his “I can’t get ready until you tell me where we’re going, Mullet. How else am I supposed to know what to wear? I can’t show up in jeans and a t-shirt if we’re going somewhere  _ nice _ .”

Keith scoffs. “You don’t have to worry about it. It’s nothing too nice.” Keith glances down at himself, red sweatshirt and black skinny jeans. “Have you  _ seen _ me?”

“ _Keith_ ! I can’t judge where we’re going based on you! With my luck, we’ll end up going to a five star restaurant in a sweatshirt because you don’t know how to dress yourself!” Lance lets out a huff. “How many college parties did you almost show up in  _ sweatpants _ ? If I hadn’t caught you, you would’ve arrived in a tracksuit at a club! This has happened more than five times, Mullet!”

Keith drags a hand down his face. “Just trust me on this one, Lance.”

Lance groans. Loudly. “Fine. You better not be screwing me over here, Keith. I’ll trust you this once.” 

Lance leaves the bathroom in a brown oversized turtleneck, tucked into loose blue jeans. 

Keith is gay. If he had any questions about it before, they’ve all disappeared along with all of his other socks after a wash. 

Lance musses his hair a bit more before turning to Keith, striking a pose, his hip jutted out and his hands on his hips.  “What do we think about the fit?”

Keith snorts, eyes trailing Lance’s body. “Look good.” Is his voice deeper than normal? It feels deeper. He clears his throat as he stands. “You’re ridiculous.”

He grabs his lanyard from their hooks by the door while he shrugs on a coat. He throws Lance’s  _ parka _ (it’s not quite one, but is fluffy enough that it would be able to provide body heat for two people). 

Lance squawks as he catches the jacket, a pout on his face. “You can’t be mean to me!”

Keith leans in close enough that Keith can see the slight freckles dusting Lance’s cheekbones. . “Who’s the one taking you somewhere?”

“Touchè, mullet.”

Keith throws his keys up in the air and catches it, dangling them in front of Lance’s face. “Ready to go, Sharpshooter?” He asks, putting on his mask and handing one to Lance before dragging a laughing Lance out of the dorm. 

Lance almost immediately starts complaining as they leave the building. 

“Keith, my Cuban blood isn’t built for the cold.”   
  
Keith rolls his eyes. “It’s like a fifteen minute walk. Will your Cuban blood freeze in that time?”

Lance scowls. “ _ Yes _ \- wait, aren’t you from Texas? How are you surviving? You should be freezing with me.” 

“...The desert is cold at night?”

“You lived in the  _ desert _ ? You know what, this is fine. I lived on the beach, in the  _ sun _ .”

Keith shakes his head fondly as they cross the street before the aquarium. “Hey Lance? Close your eyes.”

“Close my eyes while we cross the  _ street _ ? What if I get hit, Mullet? What then?” Lance squawks.

“Just shut up and  _ trust me _ .”

Keith grabs Lance’s hand, and leads them to the front of the aquarium, slightly aside from the lines. 

“I knew you were upset because you couldn’t go to Cuba for Christmas. I know you miss your family and since I can’t do anything else, I thought that maybe bringing you here would make you a bit happier during this holiday season. Oh. You can open your eyes now.”

When Lance reads the sign,  _ Altea Aquarium Reopening _ , Keith can see the moment he literally lights up. 

“Keith, you didn’t.”

“I did.”

Lance turns to Keith, eyes catching on the pair of tickets Keith holds up. 

“How?”

“I have my sources.”

“Keith, you are amazing, what the fuck?”

Keith nods toward the line. He tries to give Lance a slight smile through the mask. “Gotta get in line before we can enter, Lance.”

Lance glances from Keith and the line before grabbing him and pulling him into line. 

“You better know what you got yourself into, Mullet. You’ve signed up for hours of Lance rambling about things that don’t really matter, starring Lance.”

Keith chuckles. “I thought you would be happy.” He leans in towards Lance’s ear. “We’re also on the lookout for Shiro, he should be lingering around here.”

When he leans back out, the top of Lance’s cheeks are red as his forehead wrinkles. “Why would Shiro be here?”

“Cute boy.”  _ Same as me _ . 

“Ah. Yes. Cute boys. Maybe I should be on the lookout for some cute boys while I’m here.” Keith can feel his face fall at the thought of Lance not spending time with him. Lance must see something on his face because he amends his statement to, “Find some  _ more _ cute boys. I’ve got one hooked on my arm.” Lance gives Keith a wink and this is all too much for Keith’s poor gay heart. 

They only have to wait outside for a couple more minutes. Lance is no longer complaining about the cold, but rather, already talking about the ocean. 

“Did you know that only five percent of the ocean is explored? That’s about equal to the amount that they’ve explored  _ space _ , Keith. Space is infinite! The ocean takes up 70 percent of Earth and we’ve only explored  _ five percent _ .”

Keith flashes the tickets to the man at the front desk, surrounded by plexiglass with only a small opening at the bottom. 

“Enjoy your day at Altea’s Aquarium!” a blonde woman greets. “If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to reach out to anyone wearing the pink shirts!”

Lance waves goodbye as he drags Keith to the left. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where are we going first?” Keith says, leaning backwards slightly in an attempt to slow Lance down. 

Lance lets out something akin to a high pitched squeal, running into the shark exhibit, dragging Keith along with him. He stumbles, surprised at the faster pace. “Lance, wait-   


“Keith,  _ sharks. _ ” 

“Um, yeah, I know, there’s a big sign right behind us-”

“Oh, haha, Mr. Funny Man. Keith, they’re... _ sharks. Sharks are cool. _ You can’t tell me they’re  _ not  _ cool.”

“You think everything in the ocean is cool.”

“ _ That’s because it’s true. _ ”

Lance drags Keith over to the glass wall, peering at the sharks behind it. “What if they break the glass?”

“Don’t ruin my fun with anxiety, Mullet. Did you know that sharks don’t have bones?”

“...They what?”

“They’re  elasmobranchs. They have bones but they’re like, not normal bones. It’s made out of cartilage, so their skeletons are really flimsy. They use calcium to strengthen it, which also helps it fossilize! The closest thing to an actual bone is their jaw.”

“That’s weird.”

“Not if you’re a shark.”

Keith rolls his eyes, grateful once again for the mask hiding his smile. He wishes he hated the way he relaxed around Lance, the way everything just seemed to get better and all his stress washed away. But he doesn’t- he likes it, actually. Finds himself seeking out Lance when things get too stressful or everything becomes too much. On more than one occasion, he’s found himself in Lance’s arms at the end of a bad day, broken and vulnerable. 

Lance lets out an excited ‘oh’, racing to the other side of the room. Keith watches him with a fond look in his eyes, walking over at a slower pace. The water casts a blue shadow on Lance’s face, and he can see the Cuban grinning in the reflection of the glass. 

He’s currently rambling on about sharks once again, walking the length of the glass wall. He cuts himself off mid-sentence to change topic to a different shark, and Keith has a feeling it’s taking all of his energy to not jump up and down. “-date back at least 190  _ million  _ years ago, but they could go back even further.”

Oh, he’d...zoned out.

Lance frowned. “You’re not listening.”

“I just..got distracted.”

“By what?”

_ You.  _ “The sharks.

Lance points at the large hammerhead shark passing by. “Keith,  _ look _ .”

Keith doesn’t think he’ll ever tire of hearing Lance like this. 

So he lets Lance lead him around the aquarium, occasionally pointing out random animals they pass on their way to wherever Lance is determined to get to. 

Keith would let Lance lead him into hell if it meant Lance would hold this same smile on his face forever.

There’s a dark section of the aquarium, a long tunnel with small windows of glass for each tank. It’s dimly lit, except for the tanks, and it makes Lance glow ethereally.

He sees Lance perk up, his eye catching on something ahead. 

There are a couple of social distancing signs up, but no one is at the exhibit that Lance is leading them to. 

Keith is barely able to read the sign  _ Comb Jellyfish _ before Lance tugs his face down to look at them. 

They’re an odd umbrella shape, a milky white color and slightly transparent. And they’re rainbow. 

Comb jellies say gay rights. Ha, suck on that, homophobes. 

Lance’s voice breaks through his thoughts. “They’re comb jellyfish! Their neurons are set up completely different than ours, did you know that? Scientists have spent countless hours trying to figure out their brain make-up. There’s even a theory saying that our neurons may have evolved twice.” Lance points to one of them. “Do you see the way it reflects a small rainbow? That’s caused by these eight small, comb-like plates that reflect light. They’re slightly bioluminescent, and technically they aren’t even jellyfish, since they have no biological relation to them and, scientists think, that they have been around for over 500 million years!”

Keith glances at Lance, away from the captivating (not) jellyfish, Keith realizes that Lance’s eyes are glowing in the deep blue LED lights. 

Lance’s irises have turned into a bright, bright blue. They look almost alien in the lighting, something divine and untouchable. They’re unearthly and they remind him of something to be explored. 

Keith would spend the rest of his life discovering everything new in Lance’s eyes and learning every small nuance of his soul. 

They’re the only things Keith can see over the mask. 

He doesn’t need anything more to know he loves this boy. 

He feels as if they’re glowing, in the soft light of the jellyfish tanks. He can see the slight halo around Lance, adding to the extraterrestrial glow in his eyes. 

This boy is gorgeous.

He feels himself cringe. That was  _ way  _ too much like a Hallmark monologue.

He turns his attention back to the jellyfish. Well, the not-jellyfish. His brow furrows. 

When Lance turns to him again, Keith can see this smile through his mask, it reaches his eyes and he looks happier than he’s been in a while. 

Keith can tell Lance is in his element, surrounded by things that have yet to be explored or beauty to discover. 

Keith loves the way he looks at everything in awe, loves the way Lance wears his heart on his sleeve and the way he leaves his feelings in an open book.

They haven’t always been this open. 

At the beginning, Keith had to pull the book off the shelf and painstakingly went through each page to slowly break in the spine. It’s come to the point where the cover is worn and frayed and Keith has memorized most of the pages. 

Lance’s eyes travel upward, catching on another tank. “ _ Keith!” _

**♆♆♆**

Lance takes him around the aquarium at least three times, each one Lance focuses on something new and exciting. 

They even manage to spy on Shiro talking to a new employee, this infamous Adam that Keith knows all about. 

Keith totally doesn’t take a picture to send him later.

“Adam is cute, in a dorky way,” Lance whispers in his ear. 

Keith lets Lance convince him to go into the giftshop, because Keith cannot say no to Lance. 

It’s becoming a slight problem. 

Lance’s eyes catch something from across the room. Lance’ grip tightens around his wrist and Keith knows he’s about to be dragged to whatever’s caught Lance’s eyes. 

They’re snow globes, ranging from small to large. Lance leans down and grabs one off the shelf. He shows it to Keith, a blush growing on the top of his cheeks. 

It’s a jellyfish snow globe, colored in purples, blues and reds.

Lance holds the snow globe upside down, waiting for all the snowflakes to reach the top before flipping it right side up. 

They fall slowly around the jellyfish, and Keith plucks it out of Lance’s hands. 

“Hey!”

“I’m buying this for you.”

“Wait! No, no, no, no, I have  _ money _ ! You got the tickets- Keith! You can’t! Come back here, asshole!”

Keith sees the woman standing next to them give them a glare as they move their kids a bit away from them. 

“Nope, I’m buying this for you.”

Lance crosses his arms. 

“You’re kidding me.” 

“I’m not. If you want to buy it you have to reach it first.” Keith holds it above his head on his tiptoes. 

“Barely two inches of height difference. Did you have to rub it in, Mullet?”

Keith scowls behind the mask as he brings the snow globe down and cradles it against his chest. 

“Let me pay, Lance? Early Christmas present?”

Lance lets out a long sigh. “Fine. But I get to pay for the next date.”

Keith’s heart pounds even louder in his ears. 

_ Date _ . 

Lance wants  _ another date _ . 

They hadn’t even confirmed that this trip to the Altea Aquarium was a date in the first place, and Lance already wants more. 

“It’s a deal, sharpshooter.”

**♆♆♆**

Keith is still holding Lance’s hand as they walk back to their dorm. Lance is beaming, hasn’t been able to stop smiling since they left the gift shop, the snow globe in hand. Keith thinks it’s cute. 

Keith unlocks the dorm room door, ignoring the buzzing from his pocket. 

Lance unwinds his scarf and in the process, taking off his mask as well. His cheeks are red from the cold and Lance rubs his hands together to warm them up. 

Keith smiles softly, staring at Lance for a little too long and only realizing when the other boy looks at him, chuckling softly. “Subtle.”

Keith scowls- though there’s hardly any effort in it- causing Lance to laugh harder. 

“Ugh, get over here.” Then he’s grabbing Keith’s wrist and pulling him into a hug. Lance’s long arms rest around the others hips as he buries his face in Keith’s neck.

The cold lingering on Lance’s nose made Keith flinch, instinctively going to push the other boy away.

“I’m trying to give you affection, Keith.” Lance argues, playfulness lacing his tone.

“Your nose is freezing!” Keith shouts back.

“Then  _ suffer _ ,” Lance says, pushing his nose into Keith’s skin even harder. 

Keith pushes the laughing Cuban away, feigning annoyance. “That’s it, I’m moving out.”

Lance snorted. “Good riddance. See ya.” Lance gestures to the room. “Go on and pack your stuff, Mullet man.”

“Wow. I can’t believe I’m in love with you.”

Lance’s laughter trails off, lips parting and eyes widening.  _ Oh.  _ Keith hadn’t meant to say that…

He opened his mouth, an apology and terrible explanation on the tip of his tongue when-

“I love you, too.”

Haha, that would’ve been embarrassing. 

“So Lance,” Keith says. “To top off our, um, confession, I have a surprise. Um, hit it!”

There’s silence, until Keith realizes that Shiro isn’t technically allowed in the dorm. Keith clears his throat. “Ahem, right.” He walks over to the speaker and hits play and  _ All I Want for Christmas _ comes playing out of it.

“I don’t want a lot for Christmas,” Keith sings, slowly walking towards Lance, who stares at him wide-eyed. 

“There is just one thing I need.” Keith grabs Lance’s hand, pulling him closer. “I don’t care about the presents underneath the christmas tree.”

“I just want you for my own.” His other hand goes to the Cuban’s waist, causing him to blush. He smiles, leaning his forehead against Lance’s. “More than you could ever know.”

The door opens, revealing a strong muscular arm holding a bouquet of flowers. Shiro tosses it in the door, the flowers rolling down the hallway. 

“Frick! I threw it at the wrong time didn’t I?”

“ _ Shiro! _ ”

Keith clears his throat and smiles awkwardly as Lance picks up the flowers, ruffling through them. The music continues playing through the speakers, and no matter how much Keith is blushing, he has to keep singing. 

“Make my wish come true.” Lance shoves his nose into the flowers, sneezing as he gets pollen all over his face. 

“All I want for Christmas...is you.”

The music dies off, leaving Keith and Lance staring at each other. Keith is still breathing deeply and Lance keeps wrinkling his nose, occasionally going crossed-eyed, trying to stare at the pollen. 

Keith can’t help but burst out laughing as the faces Lance is making. “You look ridiculous,” Keith chuckles. 

Lance sneezes again. When he comes back up from covering his face with his elbow, his cheeks are still red. “How long did it take for you to plan this, mullet?"

Keith’s cheeks grow warmer. He reaches up to scratch the back of his head. “Um, a week? Maybe more?”

Lance drops the bouquet of flowers onto the floor and envelops Keith into a hug, pulling him very close. 

Lance’s face is warmer than it was fifteen minutes ago. “You’re so cute, did you know that?” Lance whispers against his neck. He leans back with a wicked smile on his face. “When was the right time Shiro was supposed to throw the flowers?”

They’re still so close, Keith can’t focus on the words Lance is saying. He watches the way Lance’s lips form around those words and he mumbles half-heartedly, “Not at that part.”

Lance laughs, and Keith loves the way his eyes light up. 

He keeps glancing down to Lance’s lips, a pretty pink and a strong cupid’s bow. Out of the corners of his eyes, he can see Lance do the same. “I’m going to kiss you now, is that okay?”

“Yeah,” Lance says breathily.

“Good.”

Keith leans forward, pressing his lips against Lance’s slightly cold ones. His are chapped compared to Lance’s. It’s a soft press, like a teenagers first kiss, innocent and gentle, but it couldn’t have felt more right. 

Lance leans backward. They’re both out of breath now. Lance leans his forehead against Keith’s. 

“Does this mean what I think it means?” Lance asks, his eyes catching on Keith’s lips again. 

“I hope it does. I didn’t spend a week trying to woo you for you to turn me down after we kissed.”

Lance’s eyes widened. “Keith! I’m the one with romantic gestures- Wait, shoot. I had our whole first date planned in my head, Mullet! You can’t just pull this cute shit on me-”

“If we’re dating now, we have to get rid of the ‘mullet’ nickname.”

“Nope, never. Not gonna happen _ mullet _ .”  
  


**Author's Note:**

> both of us are angst writers, so the fluff was a fun addition to write!
> 
> thank you for reading!
> 
> let us know what you thought in the comments :)


End file.
